Though we know that a lot is in flux as Disney parks re-prioritize and shuffle projects in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a Disney executive recently gave an interview which highlights what projects are currently being given “priority” at Disney parks.
Christine McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company, recently spoke at the Bank of America Virtual 2020 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference, and confirmed that while Disney’s long term strategy is still to invest heavily in new projects for theme parks, right now the company is working on strategizing its investment spending, giving projects like Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World and Avengers Campus and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland Resort priority over other in-development projects.
Of course, we know that work is continuing on several other projects rather than those McCarthy specifically mentioned, most notably the Magic Kingdom’s Tron roller coaster, which has been ramping up construction significantly in recent weeks. However, it may be telling that McCarthy did not mention anything about Epcot’s reinvention, which seems to be in something of a holding pattern right now as several facets of this project (including the permanent Festival Center, Spaceship Earth reimagining and the Mary Poppins expansion in the UK) are reevaluated.
We will probably get more confirmation about timelines for upcoming projects as we get closer to 2021, and hopefully Disney will be able to get as many of their projects back on track as possible as we look to the future of their theme parks.
